


slow, then all at once

by allmywill



Category: Duran Duran
Genre: Best Friends, Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmywill/pseuds/allmywill
Summary: Nigel isn’t quite sure how it happened, but at some point, he and Nick have drifted much closer together on the sofa.
Relationships: Nick Rhodes/John Taylor (Duran Duran)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	slow, then all at once

**Author's Note:**

> a soft and small treat since i was in the mood for baby JoNi, enjoy 💕

Nigel isn’t quite sure how it happened, but at some point, he and Nick have drifted much closer together on the sofa. They’re sat together in his living room, half paying attention to the television screen. Well, at least Nigel is.

He’s more focused on Nick’s presence next to him, how close he is now. He’s never been more aware of him before, it seems. His breaths grow uneven. Some invisible force compresses his lungs, some new feeling washing over him, and it’s all because Nick is close.

He’s close enough that their thighs are touching. _So much room on the sofa and this is how he chooses to sit?_ Nigel wonders briefly.

Maybe he’s just tired, his mind a cluttered mess after a long day at school. They’re both still in their uniforms, ties loosened and top buttons popped. Nigel goes to move to fix his glasses, pushing them up his nose. He realizes he’d be more comfortable with his arm over the back of the sofa.

Now his arm is almost around Nick. He leans away slightly only for him to move closer. _Fuck,_ he thinks to himself. _Why do I want this?_

He looks to Nick. Nick looks to him. The afternoon sun leaks through the blinds, glowing lines painted across the floor. Some of them touch Nick, dancing across his body. He’s just two years younger but he looks so small, so vulnerable. He finds himself longing for the light to reach his eyes, shine upon the pretty green that calls to him there.

His face softens, looking into Nigel’s eyes. Or at the reflection of the screen in his glasses, perhaps. Nigel feels warm and the room feels as though it’s only getting smaller, drawing them even closer together.

Beautiful, too. He’s beautiful.

Confusion fills Nigel’s mind as the moment drags on. But he staggers into the habit of following his instincts, and they tell him to—

Nick beats him to it. He leans into him, slotting perfectly into his side. It’s as if he was made to be there.

“Is this okay, Nigel?” he asks after a moment.

Nigel is frozen in place, awkward and lanky. That’s been his downfall for quite some time now. He blushes and nods, his face showcasing his every emotion. “Yeah, uh... it’s good,” he replies, wrapping his arm around Nick’s shoulders.

He makes sure he is secured there against his warm body. Nigel nearly gasps as his head settles on his chest, his hand following and resting there too, balled up into a fist. Nick’s body feels rather nice against his own.

Nigel sinks further into the sofa, growing more comfortable this way, though he’s still blushing from their contact. It’s all he can think of: how good it is to be close to Nick.

The television has completely lost his interest. Instead, he focuses on the feeling of Nick curled up against him, just one move away from being in his lap. It scares him a little that he wouldn’t mind that. This territory is quite new.

_He’s my best friend, for fuck’s sake!_

It’s hard not to take notice of how cute he looks this way. At this point, he’s staring down at Nick, mind wandering far and wide. Something bubbles within him, something that he has only ever felt with girls. It’s just as exciting as it is confusing.

Nick notices his tension quickly. “Nigel?”

“Yes?”

“What’s the matter?”

Nick is looking up at him now, and Nigel has a hard time looking into his eyes. “I’m really not sure.”

“Do you want me to go—”

“Don’t you _dare_.”

Nick is smirking, young face suggesting pure innocence. “Okay.”

Thinking fast, Nigel takes a risk. He shifts the two of them so they’re lying down together, with Nick pressed into his chest. A hand settles on his back. His splayed fingers tremble slightly, the fabric of Nick’s shirt even more familiar now.

Then they share a laugh, and Nigel’s nervousness wanes.

“You could have just asked for a cuddle, you know,” Nick retorts, blushing face scrunched with delight.

“Well,” Nigel says, “I could say the same to you.”

Nick snuggles further into his chest, giving his best friend no choice but to hold him closer. He doesn’t mind though, not in the least bit. Nigel feels him smile and he thinks he might be scheming this up; the utter bliss of having what he never knew he wanted so badly.

He grows more comfortable with the embrace, Nick’s steady breath beginning to relax his own. The warmth between them mixes with his exhaustion and sends him to dreamland, peace washing over Nigel as he drifts.

Slow, then all at once, he drifts.


End file.
